Control system



P 1936. H. B. LA Ro uE 2,053,155

CONTROL SYSTEM FiledJuly 15, 1955 Fig l.

Inventor:

Harold B.LaF?oq e H isAttofney Patented Sept. 1 1936 1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE small?! CONTROL SYSTEM Harold B. Laltoqne, Sootia, N. Y.. uslgnor to.

Gwen! Electric Co a y. a or New York Application July is, 1882 Serial No. sauce 2 sum. (CEBU-8046) tober 1, 1935.

My invention has special use in the control of electric circuits containing incandescent lamps. It is particularly useful in the control of decorati've lighting installations such as for show windows, 'floodlighting, electric signs, etc. In connection with the control of the electric lamps an object of the invention is an automatic mobile color-lighting system operating to give a predetermined sequence of color control with blending of colors.

My invention also comprehends the control of a plurality of banks of lights, preferably of different colors, in some predetermined relation as to degree of illumination, together with means whereby this relation may be continuously varied.

In carrying out my invention I provide a plurality of devices for controlling the degree of iilumin'ation of the lamps and a plurality of groups of lamps, preferably of different colors together with selective switching means for connecting the control means as desired to the various groups of lamps. The control means are operated at different speeds, some giving a relatively slow rise and fall of illumination, while the others, being driven at higher speed, giving a comparatively fast rise and fall of illumination.

with this control one group of lamps may be passing. slowly through a cycle of darkness to full brilliancy and then back to darkness, while f at the same time another group or groups of lamps under the control of the fast controller's may be blended with the slow group. I

For a complete understanding of my invention reference should be had to the accompanying erably arranged to illuminate a common-area or adiacent areas so that their lights may be. blended or contrasted. It will be understood that the rectangular figures to which the reference numerals are applied each include, as well as 5 the lamps, the electron discharge and reactance control devices as shown in Fig. 3, to be hereinafter described in detail.

The various groups of lamps are controlled by control devices indicated by rectangular figures II to 2! inclusive. Each control device includes a rotatable inductance coil 22 (Fig. 2) with cooperating circuits to give a suitable phase shifting control for the electron discharge devices when the coil 22 is rotated. This control means will hereinafter bedescribed in detail in con nection with Fig. 2.

The coils 22 of the phase controllers It to 2| inclusive are driven by a common driving motor 21, preferably of a constant speed type, through a common drive shaft 24 and suitable gearing. This gearing hasdiiferent ratios, the control devices II and I8 being driven at the same speed, which, however, is relatively slow as compared with the speed of the control devices 20 and 2|.

Associated with the controllers It to 2| inclusive are respectively selector switches 25 to 28 inclusive, as indicated inthe drawing. Each of these switches comprises a rotatably mounted contact arm 29 which cooperates with spaced 30 contacts 30. The contact arms of the four switches are mounted on a common drive shaft ll. They may be turned step by step in. a clockwise direction from one contact to another by means of a suitable mechanism comprising a ratchet wheel 22 mounted on theshaft II and a pawl 22 cooperating therewith. This pawl is mounted ona plunger armature '24 provided with an operating coil 25. The circuit of the coil 34 is controlled by means of a switch It which is 40 normally opened but closed once each revolution of a disk 31 carrying a projecting pin 28 arranged .to strike one of the contacts of the;

I switch and bring it into engagement with the other. This closes the circuit of the coil II which thereupon picks up the plunger 2! and advances transfer in the control takes place at a predetermined period in the lighting cycle, ordinarily when the lamps are completely dark. This adjustment for the period of transfer is made by relatively arranging the pin 38 withrespect to the switch 36 so that the switch is closed at the desired time.

switch 25, for example, has its first four contacts,

counting from the top, electrically connected to gather and in turn electrically connected to the green group of lamps II. The contacts 5 and 6 of this switch have no electrical connections and therefore are dead, while the lower four contacts are electrically connected together and in turn connected-through a conductor 40 to the green group of lamps Ill. Theselector switches 26, 21 and 28 have their stationary contacts arranged differently in suitable groupings and connected to various groups of lamps, all of which will be clear from the drawing.

It will be understood that one complete revolution of the disk 31 represents a complete cycle for the fast controllers, that is, from dark to full briliiancy and back again from full brilliancy to dark. Therefore the lamps connected to the fast controllers go through a complete cycle during the time that the contact arms of their respective selector switches are in engagement with any particular stationary contact which is being utilized in a control circuit. This is not true, however, with respect to the slow controllers l8 and I9. These controllers are preferably driven at one-half the speed of the fast controllers although a different ratio which is also an even number may be used. With the one-half speed ratio the groups of lamps connected to the slow controllers can only go through one-half of'the cycle, 1. e., from dark to full brilliancy or vice versa, while the contact arms of their particular selector switches are in engagementwith any particular stationary contact which is in use. It will be observed, therefore, that while the contact arm of the selector switch 25 is cooperating with the first four contacts, thegroups of lamps controlled thereby, i. e., the group I0, is carried through two complete cycles. That is, while the contact arm is in engagement with the upper stationary contact, the group of lights I0 is raised to full brilliancy. The contact arm is then shifted to the second contact and the lights reduced to full darkness. When the contact arm is shifted to a third contact, the lights are raised again to full brilliancy and then darkened when the contact arm is shifted to the fourth contact. It will be understood that the contact arms are snapped quickly from one contact to'the other upon energization ofthe operating coil 35 and because of this and the time constants of the reactors no appreciable dimming or flickering of the lights is observed. This applies particularly to the slow controllers l8'and l9 sincethe fast controllers and 2| are transferred when the lights are -dark., It will be observed that this transfer of control when the lights are either dark or fully brilliant is dependent upon the operation of the fast and slow controllers at speeds having an even ratio to each other as disclosed. g v

The connections of the control devices in the various combinations will be clear from the previous description, without tracing through the respective circuits for each' particular controller and selector switch.

Referring to Fig. 2, while any suitable control device may be used for controlling the electron discharge devices, I have shown a phase shift controller such as described and claimed in a copending applicationofHa'rold B. LaRoque and Frank R. Elder, Serial N 556,702, filed August 12, 1931, assigned to the-same assignee as this invention. This control device comprises a suitable resistance 4| which is connected across supply conductor 42 leading to a suitable alternating supply source. Connected in parallel relation with the resistance 4| is an inductance coil 43 and a second resistance 44, the inductance 43 and the resistance 44 being connected in series with each other. A third. resistance 45 is connectedbetween the junction point 46 of the inductance 43 and the resistance 44 and an adjustable intermediate point 41' on the resistance 4!. The inductance coil 22 driven by the motor 23 is preferably provided with a rotatable iron core armature 48. This coil is in inductive relation with the inductance coil 43, which preferably also has an iron core. One terminal of the inductance coil 22 is connected to a point between the inductance 43 and the resistance 44, while the other terminal 49 of the coil 22 constitutes one output terminal of the controller. A conductor 50 leads to an adjustable point on the resistance 45, this conductor 50 constituting the other output terminal of the controller.

It will be observed that a voltage is inducedin the coil 22 by reason of its inductive relation with the coil 43, which voltage varies in magnitude from a. maximum value in one direction to a maximum value in an opposite direction. This voltage when added to or subtracted from the voltage drop across the resistance 45 gives a resulting voltage across the terminals 49 and 50, the phase position of which' with relation to the supply source 42 is dependent upon the angular position of the coil 22.

Referring to Fig. 3, it will be understood that each of the rectangles of Fig. 1,-referred to as lamps, includes the control devices shown in Fig. 3 in addition to a group of lamps 5! of selected color. The degree of illumination of the lamps is controlled by a suitable iron core reactance device 52 having a winding connected in series with the to their output circuits from thesupply conductors 53 through a transformer 55. Preferably the electron discharge devices 53 and 54 are three-element devices of the mercury-vapor type, which devices act as arc rectifiers As is well known in the art, the sealed envelope of a discharge device of this type contains a small quantity of inert gas such as mercury vapor, whereby the device becomes an arc rectifier, its arc formation being controlled by a grid.

The terminals of the secondary windings of the transformer 55 jare connected respectively to the anodes 56 and 51 of the discharge devices. A central point 58 ,of this secondary winding is concontrol the lamp circuit. Preferably, however,

nected through a conductor I! and a saturating winding Bl 'on the reactor 52 to the cathodes 8i. and 62 of thedischarge devices. The cathodes are also connected to a suitable heating transformer 63; It will be understood-that the output circuit through the controlling reactance winding 60 is completed through the cathodes and anodes of the discharge devices alternately when they are in operation so as to rectify predetermined portions of .both halves of the alternating-current cycle under the control of the grids I4 and 85.

the reactance comprises two similar windings l8 and 10 connected in parallel in the lamp circuit ona suitable iron core and oppositely wound sothat-their induced voltages exactly counterbalance each other while surroundingthese two windings is the direct current saturating winding 60. Thisarrangement prevents detrimental inductive action between the winding M and the two windings 89 and 10. It will be understood that the current in the lamp circuit is controlled Thegrid are supplied with a control voltage ,by' varying the saturation of the core of the re from the secondary winding of a grid transformer 68 having the terminals of its secondary winding. connected respectively to the grids and having a mid-point of its secondary winding connected through a grid current limiting resistance 61 to the cathodes of the discharge devices. The primary winding of the grid transformer 68 is connected to the output conductors l9 and 50 of the phase-shifting control device shown in Fig. 2. One of these conductors, for example the conductor- 50, is connected directly to the primary of the grid transformer 66, the other conductor 49 being connected selectively to the' other terminal 68- of the grid'transformer through one of the selector switches. As shown in Fig. l, the output conductors iii of the various phase-shifting control devices it to 2| inclusive are connected to a common conductor 10 which in turn leads to-one terminal of each of the grid transformers 66 asso-' ciated with the various groups of'lights', while the conductors 49 of the four phase-shifting control devices lead respectively to thefour contact arms of the selector switches.

In the operation of the' discharge devices, when the grid voltage applied by the'particular phaseshifting controller lags behind the anode voltage 52 by a predetermined angle, which may be approximately 120", the grids of the discharge devices become suflicientiy positive to set the discharge devices inoperation only during approximately the last 60 of the positive half of the voltage wave, the two discharge devices thus operating to supply a pulsating direct current only during these relatively small portions of the waves. This does not energize the lamps sumciently. to cause them to emit any visible or appreciably .visible illumination and consequently the lights are dark. This condition will correspond with one of the positions of maximum voltage of the coil 22 such as shown in Fig. 2. As the coil 22 is turned from that position its voltage decreases and consequently the grid voltage is shifted more ;and more in 'phase with the anode voltage so that greater and greater portions of the alternating waves are rectified with correspond ingly increased energization of the lamps, whereby they are gradually brought up to full brilliancy,

- 'mately in phase with the input voltage.

, these conditions the coil 22 will have a position this occurring when the grid voltage is approxi- Under approximately from the position shown in Fig. 2. In other words it will have maximum voltage induced in it in the opposite direction.

As the coil 22 continuesits rotation its induced voltage gradually decreases andconsequentiy the actance by means of the current through the winding 60, an increase of current in the winding illincreasing the saturation and hence increasing the brilliancy of the lamps, and vice I VGI'SG.

What 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:--

l. The combination in a system of control for a plurality of groups of electric lamps, of a plu-' between said motor and f said control means hav- 1 ing different speed ratios whereby said control means are driven at high and low speeds having a predetermined ratio to each other which is an trolling the connections between said plurality of control means and said groups of lamps, electromag'nctic means for moving said selective switching means from one position to the next.

connections for energizing said electromagnetic means, a normally open switch in said'connec-' tions for selectively energizing and de-energizing said electromagnetic Emeans, and an operating connection between said first control means and even number, selective switching means for consaid switch for operating said switch to its closed position after a predetermined rotation of said control means to thereby energize said electromagnetic means momentarily to move said selective switching means to another position, said operating connection being arranged relative to the angular position of said high speed control means to close said switch when said control meansiare in positions for maximum or minimum intensities of illumination of said groups of lamps.

2. The combination in a systemof control for a plurality of groups o f-diii!erent colored electric lamps, et a plurality of control devices for said groups of lamps each comprising a winding mounted forcontinuous rotation to thereby produce a voltage varying during each revolution from a maximum value in one direction through zero to a maximum value in the opposite direction and then back to the maximum value in the first direction voltage, responsive means associated with each oi said groups of lamps for varying the brilliancy of rsaid lamps from darkness to full brilliancy and back to darkness during each revolution of said winding, a selector device movable successively to a plurality of positions for simultaneously transferring the connections of said voltage responsive means from one set of .control devices to another set of control devices, a solenoid having an armatureconsolenoid in said connections, a driving motor,

driving connections between said motor and said control devices having diflerent ratios whereby said control devices are driven at predetermined high and low speeds having a predetermined ratio to each other which is an even number, an operating member connected to be driven by one of said fast control devices for momentarily closing said switch once each revolution of said fast control device, said operating member being so\ angularly related to the winding of said fast control device that it closes said switch when the voltage produced by said winding is a maximum value whereby said groups of lamps are either fully dark or fully brilliant when said selector device is operated from one position to the next.

more: B. L AROQUE. 

